


Between Shadow and Light (Odyssey)

by millennia



Category: League of Legends
Genre: F/M, I will add more tags once I need them - I do not want to spoiler too much for now, Odyssey AU, this will be a wild rollercoaster trip with a ship no one asked for lmao
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-13
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-10-27 15:50:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17769716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/millennia/pseuds/millennia
Summary: ODYSSEY AU.After the Syndicate has grown wide influence over many edge systems of the galaxy, Emperor Jarvan IV decided to finally take appropriate measures. Sending out the Demaxian Empire’s most loyal and battle-proven Ordinal to the edgeworlds on a quite unfitting mission of peace, it is in Luxanna’s responsibility to remind her superior of such.However, how does one remind a man of the importance of peace when he only knows war and mercilessness inside his heart? And how can she fulfill her task when she is scared for him to find out the very truth she had been hiding the past seven years?At the same time, Ordinal Kayn is also hiding the shadows of his very own past beneath his charismatic, eloquent façade and unmatched arrogance.





	1. Only shadows, no light.

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome on board of my first fanfiction posted on this site (or any, really) bringing a ship to you no one asked for! (Get iiiit? “Ship”.)
> 
> I want to say a view words before people start reading this fanfiction under a false impression.  
> First of all, the timeline is different than the one Odyssey-event played in. It plays prior the “The Lure”, which is Kayn’s short story – and in fact this one will not happen like this to begin with. Basically, assume it does not exist although I of course took as much of it as I could. 
> 
> Secondly, Rhaast will not be part of this fanfiction until much, much later. So if you like to read Kayn’s banter with him, I have to disappoint you.  
> As how I view Kayn’s behavior based on his Odyssey short story and bio, he is a very reasonable and charismatic man who highly values friendships. He still has some issues with his arrogance but overall he is probably not what most of you would expect. 
> 
> I try nonetheless to write this fanfiction as close to the original as possible; but I might have to do little adaptions here and there, I hope you can understand this. Furthermore I try to write at least one chapter per week, mostly on weekends. Overall I've divided this fanfiction in different acts, so this gonna be a really long trip. Enjoy!
> 
> *This work will be written in Kayn's and Lux' POV respectively.  
> I have yet to make minor edits, but nothing to be worried about!

From the orbit the very hue of the coreworld of Taronia resembled a deep arctic blue, closer to the color of raw, highly valuable crystal still found in some edgeworlds than the blue water covering most of its surface. The peaks of the tallest mountains were almost visible to the sheer eye, clouding the tiny spots of usually visible emerald green –the only true color which could be found in such sight.  
  
More planets, smaller in size and yet almost equally beautiful, aligned themselves in the distance, seemingly shining brighter than the many stars adorning the deep, endless void surrounding it. This was the true pride of the galaxy’s – the heart and seat of technology, of advancement but also the future. Most citizens of the Demaxian Empire resided on one of the planets – those with knowledge, wealth, power or mere luck and opportunity. Truthfully, if Kayn had to compare the system of the coreworlds to any other, he would have admitted that it indeed was the most stunning. Alas he had little to no interest to even harbor such thoughts.  
  
In the distance the light of the almost bloodred sun was reflected on the metallic hulls of the many stationary baseships and automatic defense systems who had the honorable task to protect the peaceful life of the Empire’s very core during day and night. Not that anyone had attempted to dare something as foolish for the past decades, however. Any unregistered ship in sight would hardly stay intact for longer than two seconds midst an interception fire. If Kayn had to guess, it was less than zero point three seconds until the defensive system of the core planet launched their first attack.  
  
At least this had been his original idea when he suggested the installation of such system so many months ago, debating the pros and cons with the Emperor and the other Ordinals more than just once. Just remembering their endless discussions gave him a headache, immediately causing the hint of an almost sarcastic smile to appear on his lips. Fortunately they had accepted his proposal in the very end– no one could oppose his reasonable logic, after all. Ever since the number of smugglers, pirates and syndicate members who have attempted to disguise their ship and land on their most prestigious territory had become technically nonexistent. Good for them.  
  
Ordinal Kayn’s physique was tall and lean, with his blackened clothes being the perfect disguise to cover his muscular body hiding underneath. On the battlefield or on the commanding bridge of any of their fleet ships he was certainly quite intimidating in critical moments when he could not allow himself even one fatal mistake – but now he was almost average in comparison to the man to his side. The other was hardly any taller than the ordinal and yet he appeared to be almost divine.  
  
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”  
  
Kayn’s body lightly shifted to the side upon hearing Jarvan’s voice, carefully watching the facial expression of the very man standing close to him. The promising sight of the space held the other’s gaze imprisoned, but the slightly twitching of the corner of his lips betrayed him. No, his friend definitely wanted to say more than just this. This was not the very reason why he had ordered him to immediately return to the Locus Armada just to have a nice chitchat like they used to have some years ago, both with filled glasses inside their hands in one of the high-end nightclubs. Good, old memories, indeed.  
  
 It was not sheer politeness which kept Kayn from asking the other about his mind – it was respect. Respect for the other’s title, yet also their friendship. Jarvan IV, the current emperor of the Demaxian Empire, was none he dared to openly question or talk back to unless it was really required.  
  
“Beautiful it may be, but I hardly value worlds based on their appearance. I feel no such sentimentality, my emperor.”  
Emperor Jarvan chuckled lowly, its tone clear and almost too common with such powerful aura radiating from him.  
“I expected no less of you, Shieda. Alas I wish for you to understand. Maybe…it is good. That we have a different perspective most of time.”  
“It is as it should be, my emperor.”  
  
Sometimes Kayn noticed the sudden change of his friend’s expression whenever he called him emperor – but to him it was a necessity. It did not matter how long they had been friends – how often they had fought on the same mission, how often he had saved Jarvan’s ship with the wildest maneuvers after he had again refused to listen to his tactical advices when they both were mere commanders.  
  
However, Kayn had never asked of him to respond to him with his new title and rank, and maybe that was the reason why Jarvan seemed to enjoy it so much to call him by his actual name. He was one of very few exceptions, after all – and he was aware of that as well. Silence befell his friend once again and the ordinal could almost see his friend battling with himself, trying to figure out those important words he was holding back for some time.  
  
“Maybe it is presumptuous, but I wish for you to see more than our property and glory. You need to understand I also see those people who I rule over. I try to see peace when there is none. To be frank with you, Shieda, I am no conqueror like my great-grandfather was. Yet I daresay I am not as blind– I am able to see opportunities he did not. The Empire has shed much blood over the past decades and now is the time to preserve it. We need peace, Shieda, the galaxy demands it.”  
  
Jarvan’s gaze met his, heavy with its burden but full of passion for the Demaxian Empire. It was not the first time he said something like this – in fact, ever since he knew him his head had been full of such progressive and unrealistic ideals. Kayn had tried to convince him to think otherwise, not because he wanted to be in the right but because he had considered it for the best. To chase dreams caused pain, greater than any wound he could cause. It made slumbers far too long and any defeats to appear more crucial than they actually were.  
  
Nonetheless he could understand where Jarvan was coming from; and he truly tried to think more like him at times, attempting to see the galaxy with his eyes. Not that he could ever understand the burden the emperor was wearing, however. It would be a lie if Kayn said he did not enjoy the power he possessed in his position, but an ordinal was no emperor. Most would humbly bow in his presence and follow any of his orders, but his will was not absolute.  
  
“Peace cannot be easily achieved. In fact I haven’t seen a glimpse of it on any world. There are just shadows, my emperor. We need to stay sharp, now that the syndicate’s influence largely grew in the edgeworlds”, Kayn said calmly.  
  
Before he had received the transmission of their emperor’s direct order on the Fractal Shear, a high class stationary baseship with enormous firepower, to return to the Locus Armada at once, the Ordinal had carefully observed the most recent movements in the outer sectors of galaxy. It was not uncommon that the Syndicate – or the Templars all at once – were gathering in a planet system in which the Empire had little to no influence, but somehow his interest was picked.  
  
Usually, by his experience, it was merely a matter of one, maybe two weeks when the Syndicate moved on after concluding a trade. This time was different. They had lost contact to two of their vessels who were stationed nearby, as if they had never been there to begin with. Kayn had examined their last known positions himself, not even finding a trace to confirm any battle. Which was, bluntly said, odd.  
  
Not only this, but quite many edgeworlds had given up their already insufficient communication with the Empire. Kayn had inquired to take control over these planets by brute force more than just once since he considered it to be close to impossible to hold them at bay otherwise, but Jarvan was a man of harmony and peace. The emperor truly despised unnecessary bloodshed. Suffice to say the emperor had kept him on a really short leash ever since the situation seemed to escalate, knowing that the Ordinal would have taken more pragmatic measures otherwise. When Kayn ordered the Fractal Shear to change its course with maximum slingspeed he had hoped that his friend would ask of him to change their situation – but apparently this was not the case.  
  
Much to Kayn’s surprise Jarvan’s lips formed a small, knowing smile. Brushing off some long, blue wisps of hair falling over his golden interface which covered his entire left cheek and eye, the Ordinal raised his only visible and perfectly formed eyebrow.  
  
“This reminds me of old times. You always became surprisingly poetic when you have drunken a little too much”, Jarvan said almost delightful. Suddenly he appeared a few years younger, when both of them had less responsibilities than they had right now. “But then it always became pointless to discuss important matters with you. You are no man to easily stray away from your own principles.”  
  
“I do not consider this to be a weakness in my personality, my emperor. It’s one of my strengths. I am certain you understand these things. I can only suggest appropriate measures, that is my job.” Kayn’s lips closed for a moment, trying to find the right words. “I had hoped that you have called for me to heed my advice. Alas it seems I am here for a different reason and I wonder why. With all due respect, my emperor, but you are acting quite strange today.”  
  
“Am I?”  
  
Jarvan did not look at him but at the seemingly beautiful view of the galaxy outside – a galaxy which belonged to them.  
  
“Then allow me to speak freely, before we proceed.”  
  
“Of course, my emperor.”  
  
There was another silence filling the vast onyx room for a moment before Jarvan turned around, facing his Ordinal with a serious expression.  
  
“There are only very few people I fully trust in this galaxy. No, maybe I only fully trust one person, Shieda. And that person is you. You are completely loyal to the Demaxian Empire and you always have been the one everyone wished for as comrade. I know you still hold contact with most of your former comrades and sub commanders.  
  
This is what I have always highly valued about you. You seem to possess a gift I do not. To be frank, I envy you a little. I learned how to behave around others from small age, but it is difficult for me to make friends. You are the first I ever had.  
  
Naturally I also value and consider every single one of your advices, but unfortunately you and I are nonetheless quite different. This does not change the deep respect I harbor for you, however. Now that I am emperor I cannot allow my personal feelings to cloud my judgement. We both have changed over the years, my friend. Sometimes I wish we both could be commander and sub-commander on the same ship again. But this is nostalgia we both cannot afford.”  
  
Kayn did not interrupt Jarvan – and although his expression did not change, only showing mere hints of confusion in the reflection of his visible eye, he felt similar. His loyalty was unquestionable. For years he had mostly hid himself behind desks, chasing renegades across the entire galaxy and agitated for a stricter, more ruthless approach of the Demaxian Empire. He knew all of those slingtroopers serving on the Fractal Shear by name, knew about their family situations and personal goals. He knew most commanders within the Empire as good as if they were old childhood friends, yet he rarely ever spoke with anyone outside his duties. No, actually he was always occupied, just like Jarvan was. There were no moments of rest, and the little free time possessed often made him simply enter his huge personal arsenal once again, arbitrarily choosing a weapon of his collection to spar with it. Visits to one of the coreworlds have become quite rare if not for his duties as Ordinal.  
  
However, Kayn would not want to have it any differently. He had always thought a victory could often solely be achieved through personal sacrifice. And he could make them. He cared little about what other did thought about him, knowing the importance of action and the following consequences. He did not want to appear fickle and inconsistent. In their galaxy the weak were devoured by the strong. Kayn had no plans to be among those who lost sight of this fact. This was a lesson he had learned as child already, all by himself – fighting for his own survival.  
  
And still, sometimes he was just another human being.  
  
Jarvan was the same.  
They would both do anything to maintain the glory of the Demaxian Empire. Everything.  
  
“I wanted to tell you this for a while now, as my oldest and most trusted friend. I need you to understand that we are both bond to our responsibilities”, Jarvan continued in a husky, almost superior tone.  
  
Kayn had an assumption what would follow soon after. To be precise, he had the feeling that the emperor had to say something - something he definitely would not like.  
  
“I am not the most patient person in this galaxy, my emperor. You are tiptoeing around the subject. I suggest we approach it now”, Kayn reminded him almost toneless, his muscles tensing a little beneath his blackened clothes.  
  
“Very well then. You have observed the outer edges of the galaxy over the past months. What are your thoughts?”  
  
Kayn had the feeling that Jarvan was still trying to stall some time, but being confronted with a direct question he had no reason to press any further for now. Clearing his throat his lips parted to speak.  
  
  
“The navigation scanners of the Fractal Shear and our outer posts have tracked a great number of unregistered ships manned by possible outlaws heading to the edgeworld of Zaun. I have seen this pattern before. Like vermin they gather to one place of interest and stay there until they are either forced to leave or eliminated. It is the greatest opportunity of the past years to heavily damage their inner structure and pull their supporters on our side if we attack them now when they are the most vulnerable.  
  
The world of Zaun is no world of great importance, my emperor. The Ora was already completely mined by the Empire many years ago, now it is naught more but a gigantic slum. Greatly inhabited by mostly aliens, pirates and syndicate members. Most of its normal population is on the brink of death, the criminal rate is abnormally high. They are slowly eradicating themselves even without our influence. It will hardly matter when a few civilians will die at our hand.  
  
If we were to invade the planet, I am certain we can imprison many of unspeakable value. Considering our most recent failings to negotiate with the Syndicate – which I need to remind you, my emperor – caused the loss of four of our newest ships, this is counterstrike we waited for. I suggest we use such opportunity wisely.”  
  
Kayn had not been responsible for the most recent space combat between the Empire and the Syndicate, but he had lost friends. He had personally felt obliged to contact their families when he had received the reports of the fallen crew members of the destroyed ships, knowing them by name and face. Actually he would be quite pleased to blow some Syndicate ships to oblivion – but this personal affair was naturally not the reason for his suggestion. It was simply the most pragmatic approach.  
  
“I already expected you to say as much, Shieda – nonetheless I wished to personally listen to your thoughts on this matter. However, I’ve inquired the other Ordinals before I summoned you. The truth is that Zaun still possesses a government as you are certainly aware. They have no control over the planet in its current state, and they have asked the Empire for help in exchange for keeping the Syndicate at bay.  
  
They also promised to strengthen our position in this sector of the galaxy as reward for our endeavors. The other Ordinals pointed out that there are still many unoccupied planets in near sectors which could provide a great amount of Ora. All of them suggested to accept Zaun’s official proposal.  
  
With an alliance between the Empire and Zaun, given we strengthen their position first, we will gain more influence in this part of the galaxy in the long run. If we suppress them like you suggested, we will solely stir more hatred and mistrust. The galaxy fails to see what we try to achieve, Shieda. We could end a bloody conflict without any further bloodshed.  
  
When other edgeworlds learn about such alliance with a world which was once famous for their outlaws, we will gain sympathizer across the entire galaxy. They will learn to see that the Empire is not a conqueror but a keeper of peace.”  
  
So that was the reason why Jarvan made him cross the entire galaxy with maximum slingspeed. To tell him that his leash was just cut a little shorter. It truly was a pity that Jarvan failed to see the dangers coming from such plan. Kayn could name at least three, if not four different outcomes of his plan, all not in their favor. But Jarvan’s mind already seemed to be settled. Kayn did know when it was wiser to not engage in a battle – and in this case this was one he could not win. Not against the most powerful man of the entire galaxy.  
  
“So what are you proposing for me to do, my emperor?”, Kayn asked with a velvety tone in his voice, one he often had when he was trying to impress other officials during important meetings. In this case, however, he was merely yielding to Jarvan’s progressive nonsense.  
  
The emperor took a step closer to his friend, standing right in front of him.  
  
“I want you to visit Zaun and negotiate with the officials. This is the right business for an Ordinal and I fully trust your judgement. As you kindly pointed out, this is no friendly territory. Most will show no respect and it is possible that the Syndicate will open fire on our ships once they learn about our presence.  
  
You are the most experienced of all Ordinals in space and close combat. And, of course, you are one of the Empire’s greatest tactical minds. It is our utmost priority that we can form an alliance with this world, Shieda. I will place all my hopes on you.”  
  
Kayn was speechless. Of course this was a great honor, even for him. Although he was arrogant enough to understand that he was the most suited for this kind of job. Due to his undeniable charisma his diplomacy was quite decent, and most certainly no one would show more ruthlessness with the Syndicate than he was. No, he could not say that any other Ordinal was capable in doing what he could possibly do in such situation.  
  
Gallantly, in a motion well known to the nobility of the coreworlds, he bowed to Jarvan.  
  
“Certainly, my emperor.”  
  
“Excellent. I leave the preparations to you, then. However, I have a final plea for you to consider.”  
  
Looking up beneath his long lashes, still in his submissive bowing position, Kayn looked at the emperor who had not lost any of his dignity.  
  
“After my consultation with Ordinal Crownguard I have accepted his proposal to assign a supervisor to your crew to oversee your activities.  As much as I do trust you, this mission is too important. We cannot afford a conflict, Shieda. Albeit I am certain you will take appropriate measures, it is wise to have a supervisor who can directly advise you and regularly send in reports.”  
  
Well, that was a surprise. Jarvan’s suggestion was basically making him more than a simple attack dog. Now he was not only one on a short leash, but who was also controlled by someone lower in rank. At this point he was certain that this was that kind of news his friend was tiptoeing around for long. He was well aware how much Kayn valued his freedom in his actions.  
  
“If you happen to be dissatisfied with your supervisor, we can discuss to send someone else. I will give you such opportunity, at least. Nonetheless I want you to know that Ordinal Crownguard handpicked the supervisor for you and he is a very reasonable man himself. I trust that he made a wise choice.”  
  
“As you wish, my emperor. It will be done.”  
  
Kayn rose from his position, his arctic eyes locked on Jarvan’s face. Maybe it was just his imagination, but somehow his expression had changed. Jarvan did not stop him as the Ordinal turned around, ready to leave the gigantic onyx colored room.  
  
“I personally hope for you to find the light in the shadows, Shieda.”  
Jarvan’s voice echoed across the entire room before Kayn could reach the automatic door.  
  
Turning around, showing the emperor his uncovered part of his face, his lips curled to a little smug smile.  
  
“Next time let’s drink together in one of the high-end nightclubs again. Just like in old times, _Jarvan_.”  
  
It was the first time in years he had called their emperor with his first name. Perchance it would remain the only and last time, but he thought he needed it. A moment when he was just a normal man and his friend, not the Emperor with one of his Ordinals.  
  
He could have sworn that he saw Jarvan smiling when he left.  


* * *

  
  
Lux’ slender fingertips touched the cold porthole surrounded by steel, feeling the coldness spreading on her skin. She had never been particularly fond of coldness, more so of space. But it was new that the mere sight of such empty vastness in front of her eyes could trigger such numbness deep within. She had buried her own emotions like a secret which could never be revealed over the past seven years - and truthfully, she could not afford it that anyone would ever find out.  
  
Born into one of the galaxy’s most prestigious families of their current time, she never had a choice to think any differently and voice what was considered an unpopular opinion. Ever since a young age she was learning how to behave like all of the high-class nobility– and naturally also how to achieve such prosperity by using their family name and maintaining its reputation.  
  
This very path had been chosen for her – to become one to be proud of, to become a strong, reliable daughter of the house of Crownguard. Her family was very influential, having connections to various celebrities and important figures of the Demaxian Empire. Not many noble families could afford to wear the color of gold, indicating wealth and power alike not even renowned commanders of the Locus Armada could claim to have, but she was even fed with golden spoons.  
  
Lux took pride in who she was. She felt no shame to be born into her family, instead she felt even grateful. Grateful for all the mentors spending so much time with her to teach her the most important things about this galaxy, no matter how much she failed in the very beginning. But she was different – not behaving like most of the coreworld’s nobility did, and most certainly not like her mother wanted her to.  
  
The coreworld’s nobility was not part of the Locus Armada, but their influence was a great asset for the Demaxian Empire. As child her mother Augatha had always loved to braid the thin wisps of platinum blonde hair and dress her in the most exquisite dresses known in the civilized worlds. Fortunately Lux had always known how to behave herself when her mother took her to one of those high class parties. In fact she was required to join in such event– her even, pretty and ever smiling face had always evoked sympathy. This was her greatest strength.  
  
Other nobles would smile at her little silhouette, speak with her with such inhuman, soft tone that she always thought she was an animal to look at, not another human being. But she would always smile, twirl in her pretty little dresses when asked and always compliment them when they wanted to hear it. Of course it felt good to be praised, to be told that she was pretty and cute. And she loved it when her parents were proud of her, smiled at her in a similar way while other nobles spoke so well about her. But somehow… it had also always felt empty and lonely.    
  
The happiest memories of her childhood were those little moments she experienced with her older brother, Garen. He already had been twelve years old when Lux was born, but apparently that had made him feel personally responsible for her wellbeing when their parents were not around. Which they often weren’t, in fact. Their father in specific. He was the one who often picked her mentors – and in some way their parents soon after trusted for him to take care of her, no matter what.  
  
She was too young to understand much back then – she was too naïve to see the world with different eyes, but she had always known how much she meant to her brother. Especially since he tried so very often to be with her despite his own busy schedule. As first born of their family he had even less of a choice than she had – but he never complained. And ultimately, after so many years of dedicated work he had become one Ordinal of the Demaxian Empire.  
  
Lux was probably prouder than her parents of what he had become.  
She had always been proud of him, even back then when he took her small hands into his.  
And this was exactly the reason why she could not tell him her secret. Ever.  
  
Sometimes, especially in moments like these when she had not seen a familiar face for weeks, finishing her training as slingtrooper in deep space all by herself, she remembered the very day when she had told Garen about her decision. At first he had thought she was joking – but he knew her all too well. Lux had stared at him firmly and with visible determination inside her azure blue eyes when she announced that she would join the Locus Armada– just like him.  
  
Of course he could not understand what made a girl like her who had never learned how to wield a weapon – let alone how to defend herself – join the Locus Armada with the age of fifteen. A girl who he had to catch often enough just a few years ago whenever she clumsily stumbled over her own two feet. A girl who had lived in an entire different world without the Syndicate, Templars, smugglers, pirates and all other criminals still lurking in space.  
  
And she made certain of it that he never would. Everything had changed seven years ago.  
  
She quickly closed her eyes as if she could hinder the memories to occupy her mind. Flashes of pictures, vague but familiar alike, appeared in her thoughts - but she had learned to quickly made them fade away. She did not need these shadows of the past haunt her.  
  
Her little room on board of one of the normal demaxian vessels was nothing special – less than she was used to, but she had never complained about it. She understood that she needed to be treated like everyone else, although her family was well familiar with all past emperors. It would just be temporary anyway.  
  
Letting out a small sigh she noticed the basic hologram device on her small desk lighten up, projecting a fuzzy image of a familiar face into her very room. In an instant she was glad that she had decided to carefully tidy up her room just a few hours ago and that she had also removed her drenched, sweaty clothes from sparring which had been scattered on the entire floor in the process.  
  
She immediately attempted to put a light smile on her face again, one she usually gave him during their by now rare conversations, but it was already too late. The eyebrows of her brother furrowed in concern. Damn it. Usually one had to accept such holographic communication at first, but since her brother was an Ordinal of the Demaxian Empire he had secret codes which easily bypassed the most basic function.

“ _Luxanna_.”  
She hated the sound of her full name – she had always despised it. Only her parents had called her like this when she had done something wrong. And Garen only called her like this when he was either lecturing her or when he was trying to act like a responsible adult in front of her. Which was funny, cause she was an adult now herself.  
  
“Brother… I hope you have been well. It’s been a while”, she said cheerfully, trying to ignore his worried gaze. In fact she had not spoken to him in months. She had not wanted for him to oversee every of her steps and fortunately even an Ordinal had no proper opportunity to contact a mere slingtrooper in training when there was no communication device at hand.  
  
Garen sighed, apparently understanding that she was not willing to talk like they were used to when she was smaller. Or before the accident had happened seven years ago. He bit down on his lower lip for a moment before he cleared his throat once again to speak.  
  
“I am well. Like always. I still made no further progress in finding that Templar, but no matter. I didn’t reach out for you without proper reason. After all you seem to take your new gained responsibilities serious enough to not contact your own older brother for months.”  
  
Well, that hurt. But it was just fair that he said this. Her behavior around him had already changed and she would not be able to tell him why. No matter how close they once had been. Sometimes she really wished to spill all of it. It was like an invisible burden she could share with no one – one she had now learned to live with all by herself.  
  
Straightening her back to appear bigger than she actually was, she gazed directly at the hologram.  
“What reason is important enough that an Ordinal reaches out to me then?”, she asked with a strong tone, one she had learned when she still had been a child. Never show anyone when you feel insecure, her mother had taught her once.  
  
“Your ship will arrive at the Locus Armada in eleven hours”, Garen said toneless in a superior tone, fitting for his rank. Somehow this sudden change of atmosphere was more relaxing for her. In some way it was right now easier for her to talk to an Ordinal instead of her older brother of her most precious childhood memories.  
  
“Yes. At least this is the current estimated time of our arrival. I was told that I will board a different ship then which will bring me to the edgeworld of Eos.”  
  
“You will not board that ship. I have a different task for you.”  
  
Dumbfounded she tried to control the sudden storm of emotions inside her upon hearing her brother’s words. Of course, it was her first true mission and she had been nervous to be appointed to an edgeworld right away – but was this really a reason for her brother to interfere with what she had worked so hard for? Her skin had become so very rough compared to how soft she had used to be – and at some point she had given up to pretend that she was still everyone’s darling girl. Because she was not. She was now trained to kill.  
  
“What do you mean with I won’t board that ship? What else am I supposed to do?”  
  
“You just finished your training, Luxanna. But I know you well. You have many qualities common slingtroopers do not have. I’ve read all reports of your former instructors. They all praised the mentioned qualities alas you lack in combat.”  
  
So much about privacy. She had already suspected that her brother had strictly watched over her during her entire process of becoming a strong asset for the Demaxian Empire but to learn it to be the truth was an entire different case.  
  
“Do you still remember the time when you were small and said it would be so much easier to avoid any fighting when people just listened to each other? You had just finished reading an historical text about the great Taronian War and were really enraged. I called you naïve, but actually many things you said as child held great truth inside them. I remembered many of your advices over the past years. And now I am Ordinal.”  
  
Garen took a break in his speech, carefully watching her expression as if he was worried that it would be too much for her. But she intently listened to him without even blinking.  
  
“You always have been good in analyzing any situation. You are great in communication with other people, as if you can read their minds. And I think your talent is wasted on some dusty, mostly inhabited planet at the other end of the galaxy. I have found something better for you. Your salary will be better and your lodging will be similar to what you are used to. And you will also gain more prestige. With this task you can directly serve the Demaxian Empire. Just like you wanted.”  
  
Her curiosity reached the maximum. What her brother Garen was suggesting sounded a bit too perfect to actually be true. And in some way she felt proud that he was apparently not considering to hold her at bay just because he was worried about her well-being.  
  
“So what is this task you are speaking of?”  
  
“So you’re accepting? This is good since I already suggested you. I will send all necessary data to your personal communicator. Suffice to say, everything written there is top secret and requires your utmost discretion.”  
  
“What are you scheming, brother?”  
  
“Nothing.”  
  
She was not buying it.


	2. An unwritten book

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is slowly picking up. Thanks for the patience!  
> By the way, thank you for the kind words so far - it's truly appreciated.  
> I haven't thought other people besides my friends would find this fanfic interesting, haha.
> 
> Starting chapter three the first proper act will start! 
> 
> I still have to properly proofread this but I'm too tired and I wrote most of this in one go, woops.  
> By the way, this ship is heavily slowburn. Sssh, I'm not going to spoiler more for now.

  
  
Captain Vassur was reliable and extremely thorough like always. Immediately after he had contacted her on board of the Fractal Shear most preparations for departure were already concluded, as if she had known what the Emperor had to say. Suffice to say, to Ordinal Kayn she was almost irreplaceable. He highly valued and appreciated one’s own initiative and he did not know anyone more suited to the description than her. What a pity that she was always so awfully stiff around him. Kayn preferred to call everyone on board by their first name – no, in fact he preferred to be informal with literally anyone he met – but in her case he had given up. Apparently she was one of very few subjects who enjoyed a fully professional atmosphere around her and naturally he respected that wish.  
  
Nonetheless the Ordinal used his remaining time wisely, demanding the Captain’s report in the very same moment when she informed him that the Fractal Shear was ready to leave by his command. He preferred to work thoroughly himself, which was part of the reason why he was in this position right now. The Demaxian Empire needed those who could think for themselves. Returning to his private quarters, an almost empty room with only very few onyx colored furniture to give it some personality, Kayn sat down in the seat near the window - his favorite place.  
  
He was quick to view the given report on his office device, a small and thin neon blue colored cuboid which was able to blend in official information. Kayn was making some smaller adaptions when he deemed it to be necessary before he moved on to more important matters. There was no need for him to review the edgeworld’s latest situation – he was well familiar with it and Captain Vassur’s report even covered the latest events ever since the Fractal Shear had left Zaun’s system with maximum slingspeed. But he was quite curious who the highly decorated officer might be who Ordinal Garen Crownguard suggested to accompany him for this mission. At least three names came into his mind. All three men of high caliber, well experienced in diplomacy and combat alike. All men he had already worked with and could again if necessary. They responded well to orders.  
  
With a quick sweep of his slender forefinger he opened the discreet information on the device, already expecting to see a familiar face to appear on it. But he was disappointed. A picture of a seemingly quite young woman lightened up and her personal data appeared almost instantly at the same time, more a short list than actual useable information. She was kind of pretty with her even face, he had to admit this at least, but this did certainly not qualify her to be a Supervisor of an Ordinal. No decorations, no titles. In fact she was unwritten book, at least for the Locus Armada. She was nothing.  
  
Or she would have been if it wasn’t for her family’s name. Crownguard.  
  
Kayn did not grow up with the flashlights of the metropolis like pretty much all of the nobility – his origins were far away from that. Much darker, a pitch-black hole he had escaped in order to not die. But he had learned well over the years and knew all of this galaxy’s most prestigious names. Crownguard was one of them. It was the name of a high-class noble family whose wealth and influence was close to the one of the Emperor. It was rumored that Jarvan’s great-grandfather, the first human Emperor known to the Demaxian Empire, had highly valued the Crownguards loyalty and wealth, using them as weapon on his road to conquest. And he succeeded and conquered almost the entire galaxy - with their help.  
  
Even after a few decades it was still considered an honor to speak to one of the Crownguards as they were still the greatest fundraisers of most Ora-extraction companies and since they greatly paid the Locus Armada in exchange for their rank and prestige. Kayn rarely ever visited those high-class parties, however, although he naturally got invited. As Ordinal he belonged to the nobility and was considered an equal, if not even superior. He found those exchanges during such parties to be extremely exhausting; in truthfully there was no one interesting to meet on any of those events before he became an Ordinal two years ago anyway. He preferred to talk to useful and valuable personas, not some shady high class persons who did naught but bragging with their wealth all day long. To him they were less than pigs, a very minor and arguably stupid lifeform on some humanoid planets, even.  
  
They acted strong, but in reality they were the weakest of all of them.  
And someday they would be crushed beneath someone’s foot.  
  
Suffice to say he had never met the youngest daughter of the house before – perhaps also for the reason because she had joined the Locus Armada around the time when he had been a mere commander on a common stationary baseship. There had been no opportunity. But he knew her brother, Ordinal Garen Crownguard, very well by now. He was a few years older than him, mostly reasonable – but also awfully loyal and incredibly stubborn. Whenever the Ordinals met with the Emperor to discuss the most important matters, Ordinal Crownguard was one of those who always fully supported every nonsense Jarvan suggested. Which was, actually, quite annoying for him, considering that Kayn was not quite pleased about Jarvan’s progressive ideas. The last he needed was another mad man who whispered nonsense into his friend’s ears. As if his head was not full of them already.  
  
At least – and this was probably the only good thing Kayn could say about Garen – he was quite useful in hunting Templars down. No, actually he was the best in it. Kayn would not even try to deny that. Unsurprisingly, considering that his younger sister Luxanna Crownguard had been kidnapped by Templars seven years ago. Kayn did not bother to read the highly classified document about this incident which only the highest in rank could even gain access to. He had been there, on board of the Loyal Order, seven years ago. Back in that day he had been a mere sub-commander, really young but extremely talented, and his tactical advices lead not only to the capture of several highly valuable templars, but also to the rescue of the youngest daughter of the Crownguard family. This incident was what immediately catapulted him to be the youngest commander in the Empire’s history.  
  
And the very same girl, now a young woman, was apparently now his Supervisor to keep him under control. This was all part of a very, very bad jest. Reviewing the reports of all her former instructors his visible eyebrow furrowed. Her combat techniques were insufficient and her skill in wielding the most basic weapons was also far below average. Actually it was a true miracle that she had managed to overall accomplish the slingtrooper training, so she probably had her strength elsewhere. But that did not matter now.  
  
It was very obvious that her brother was attempting to help her rise in ranks by using his own rank. No ordinary slingtrooper who just had finished their training would ever be able to directly work with an Ordinal like this – not even he was able to. And Kayn was still the youngest sub-commander, commander and Ordinal in the entire Demaxian Empire’s history, after all.  
  
He was no man to judge a book by its cover – or name in fact -, but in her case he was quite certain that she would not be suited for this kind of mission. He needed someone with wits, tactical knowledge and combat experience. Someone he could fully trust – and not some daughter of a high-class house who scarcely even knew a thing about those matters. This did not mean he was indeed believing she could not be decent someday, but for now she was a very poor choice. Too inexperienced. Her family name meant nothing in the Locus Armada.  
  
But he was a gentleman – the Ordinal was certain that she was well familiar with politics, growing up in such highly influential family, and would actually understand the importance of a more suited candidate. And he planned to exactly tell her that.

* * *

  
  
Time was running away as if the deep space devoured it completely. Lux had always found the rasping light of slingspeed to be calming as it reminded her of shooting stars enlightening the endless vastness. As child she had always wanted to see them, even if just very briefly, but unfortunately she never had been as lucky. The one and only time when she had been surrounded by light, so very similar to how she had imagined it to be, was in the darkest hour of her life. She had been drowning in a pitch-black darkness, not knowing how to hold herself above the surface – not hearing any voices, only feeling the pain deep inside. It was then when she found the light – it had been naught more but the reflection of some quickly passing asteroids in deep space, but it had been such a beautiful sight. As if stars exploded all around her, telling her she was not alone. Even seven years later she still cherished this very moment – but now she could not allow herself to fall into nostalgia.  
  
She had less than approximately two hours until their ship would reach the Locus Armada. Most of her squad comrades were by now preparing for their departure, enjoying themselves with a glass or two to congratulate each other that they have passed the big first hurdle. But she could not join them. Well, not that she was overly interested in joining them anyway. The way of their speech was different to what she was used to and their sense of having fun was also quite different. She had never seen her mother or her father - or just any of her family’s influential friends – ever drinking more than a glass of the most exquisite wine. At least on the high class parties it was frowned upon to be drunk – ironically, since they generally liked to brag with their most private collections of different liquids from all parts of the galaxy.  
  
Naturally her alcohol tolerance was close to zero. And unfortunately all of her comrades seemed to have no fun unless it involved at least four or five bottles of alcohol. She could pass on that.  
  
Instead Lux eagerly studied the data she had received from her brother, almost burying her head on the steel desk to read the highly confidential information displayed on the embedded cuboid device. As child she had loved it to read – she had preferred those stories about heroic deeds or seemingly mystic events. One time one of her mentors found her reading such book on her private device instead of using the hologram projector to build a basic generator. She could still remember how upset she was when he confiscated it and later complained about her lack of interest. At least she was now a fairly fast reader – and in fact also well taught in consuming all kind of information in little to no time. This is what she considered her best strength.  
  
She would not disappoint her brother.  
  
Her azure blue eyes quickly glanced over the information, memorizing as much as she possibly could. Most – if not anything – written there was completely new for her. The galaxy was endless – and although she had spent more than three years to study different planets and their lifeforms with more than five different mentors, all engaged by her older brother who highly encouraged her to study as much as possible even if it seemed unnecessary, Lux had never heard of the edgeworld Zaun before. Yet given the data in front of her it was not difficult to see why. It was a nest and hideout for pirates and syndicate members. This world seemed just to be another dark place the nobility and the Locus Armada wished to completely erase from any star map.  
  
Her lips slightly opened in surprise, her thin and perfect eyebrows furrowing in confusion when she realized what kind of mission this actually was. She had always read about the Demaxian Empire’s superiority and history of conquest, but what she was now reading was about peace.  
  
_It was about the future._  
  
Lux had to stop reading for merely a few seconds to take a deep breath. Her heart started to pound loudly in her chest while she was still trying to calm herself down to be able to analyze all she had read so far. But it was not that easy. It felt like her lungs could no longer be filled with any air.  
  
The reason why she had joined the Locus Armada was to be able to help to build a future of peace. She was not foolish enough to see how childish and naïve it was; and her brother had used quite many hours of trying to explain to her that it was not that easy. No one cared about their family’s name. He had told her she would be all by herself – but truthfully, she had been alone long before she even voiced that wish. It was why she felt no regret – and why she would not give up either.  
  
No, she really needed to prove that she was ready for this kind of mission. Of course there must be far better candidates for it. Lux was fully aware that her brother had probably spent more than just five minutes to actually be able to suggest her to such an important position – and she was grateful for it, although she arguably had acted like the worst sister in the entire universe for the longest of time. She had never called him since joining her squad – no, she had not even said a proper goodbye to him when she left. All because she had been so very scared to look at his face and see the disappointment. The concern. And, above all, she had feared he would find out what had truly happened before she had been rescued.  
  
She would take this secret to her grave.

* * *

  
  
Kayn’s duties often prevented him to indulge into more enjoyable activities – and although he was now a Ordinal of the Demaxian Empire, some old habits seemed to never change. Merely ten years ago he had been a literal nothing in the Locus Armada – and he remembered that time well. He knew all of his former comrades current ranks and whereabouts, even the dates of their deaths. In some way it was almost calming to watch new slingtroopers arriving and bantering with each other before the cruel reality of this merciless world would start to reach them with tears and blood.  
  
He kept himself in the background, allowing his curious gaze to follow every step of the man who would command this bunch of still undisciplined hooligans.  Commander Teruhl. An experienced senior commander who often took in new recruits. He had been decorated for his lifework more than just once, but he never wished to serve the Empire any differently. Kayn knew him very well, considering he also had been among them once – staring at this very man who had by now completely given up to hide his very visible grey hair. Commander Teruhl had been the first to give him proper orders, but he wasn’t the first to teach him discipline.  
  
His speech had not changed in the slightest. Kayn was almost certain that the old man used the exact same words he once told his own squad ten years ago – the effect also remained the same. Some troopers were sheer excited, others looked like they were trying to hide their anxiety. The Ordinal strode up to them with confident steps, letting his single gaze wander over each of the trooper’s faces. He even read some of their names.  
  
“Ordinal Kayn, it is truly a pleasure to see you here, sir”, Commander Teruhl greeted him immediately, taking a more appropriate posture to show him his respect. However, Kayn merely lifted one gloved hand and waved it slightly in the air. There was no need for it.  
“My, my. Commander Teruhl, I am certain I do not have to remind you how much I dislike such formalities. In fact, I find it to be slightly inappropriate as well. After all I can still remember how often you reminded me to stop talking so casually. Some habits never die, no?”  
  
Teruhl was nervously stroking his grey beard for a moment, before his mind seemingly drifted old in memories. The good, old times.  
“Ah, yes. I remember that very well, sir.”  
Kayn smirked, lifting his gaze from the smaller man to turn his body towards the troopers once again, all nicely lined up how they have been taught to.  
  
“You can consider yourselves lucky to be instructed by Commander Teruhl from now on, recruits. I am pleased to see that his methods have not changed over the years. I won’t repeat what he had said, but I personally want to congratulate each of you. However, it won’t be as easy from now on. Each one of you has to develop a strong will and a certain skill to serve the Empire and survive. You need to learn to think for yourselves – and you need to learn to act appropriate, in any situation. At times you will have to make difficult decisions with no superior to tell you what to do. You all need to be ready to take the full consequences of your own actions.”  
  
He paused for a moment, focusing a few faces of the first row and reading their names.  
  
“Trooper Travis. Do you think you are ready to serve the Empire?”, he asked loudly, focusing a tall looking man in the first row who immediately and nervously cleared his throat upon noticing that the Ordinal spoke to him.  
“Yes, sir. I believe I am more than ready to serve the Empire, sir.” His voice was hoarse, as if he was close to a panic attack. But this was something he needed to get used to while serving the Locus Armada – Kayn did him a favor, in fact.  
  
“Unfortunately that is incorrect. None of you is prepared to serve the Empire. Not yet, at least.”  
  
Kayn walked up to the new recruits, moving along the first line of their bodies while reading all of their faces.  
  
“I see fear. I see insecurity. Everyone of you is inexperienced. To be frank, I doubt even one of you is confident in their current skill.”  
  
He stopped randomly, facing a young woman who seemed to faint any time soon.  
  
“However”, he started to loudly proclaim closely to her body before turning around again, gaining some distance to the troopers, “this is the very first step. You need to realize your own limits before you can overcome them. Fortunately I am generous. Ten years ago I was like each one of you – I knew nothing. And now look at me.”  
  
Kayn made a wide gesture with his arms, as if he was presenting himself. He wore no insignia, just plain black indicating the highest of all ranks.  
  
“So, I am willing to help you to realize your own limits. I will help you to recognize your full potential. _Fight against me._ ”  
  
Out of the corner of his visible eye he could tell that the Commander Teruhl was watching him closely, trying to hold back his words. Kayn doubted that he would oppose to this idea as the purpose of it was very apparent. Troopers responded better after one broke them. They learned to think for themselves once they realized that they were all nothing, that they had to become more to be considered worthy for the Empire. Of course they had not the slightest chance to win against him. Even if all of them attacked him at the same time he highly doubted that he could possibly lose. But then again this was merely an example to help them on their long path.  
  
“Who wants to try me? Don’t be scared. I’m not biting – very often.”  
  
A long silence filled the room while the all of the troopers looked at each other, carefully watching if someone was foolish enough to accept his offer. Well, of course he had already expected that no one would volunteer first try.  
  
“Troopers Travis, Bones, Erol, Weenzer and Aslan. _Step forward._ ”  
His voice was filled with an unmistakable tone of authority which immediately evoked the named troopers to react to his command the moment he spoke it.  
  
“It is really simple. I want you to pick a weapon of your liking from the showcase on the wall and attack me all at once. There are no rules. Try to injure or even kill me. I dare you.”  
  
The Ordinal made a welcoming gesture with one of his arms, pointing to the nearby wall where several different basic training weapons orderly hung in a row. They could pick whatever they liked the most – the variety ranged from a small handpistol to a gigantic halberd. He gave them all the time they needed to realize that he was indeed quite serious with his very order. The Ordinal himself moved to the showcase, picking up a short training lance before he returned to his former position, completely calm and almost bored. And there he waited.

* * *

  
  
All of her comrades had already left the ship when Lux finally made her way to the upper decks of the gigantic battleship. The true pride of the entire Locus Armada. If her brother Garen had not contacted her hours ago she would be among them now, staring with awe at the commander to give them their first proper instructions. But now she had something else to do. Lux took surprisingly big steps, trying to orientate herself in this place she had never seen before. It was all so very big, as if the walls tried to crash upon her any time soon. Yet in some way she did know that this was merely her nerves talking to her.  
  
She knew she had to report into the Ordinal Kayn’s personal baseship named the Fractal Shear, but how to find said ship was beyond her understanding as of now. She did not want to ask for directions, either. Instead she just stubbornly took one step after another, letting the first deck behind her. One deep breath. A second deep breath. She could do this.  
  
Just the moment she wanted to go around a corner she heard a familiar sound from nearby, mixed with some voices she knew all but too well. If she had listened to the same noises just less than twenty-four hours ago she would not have minded them so much – but now they were no longer on this isolated and pitiful planet to train the most basic combat techniques. Today their real trial started. She immediately turned around, practically running over the onyx polished floor as if she was floating. That was the sound of a fight, she was certain of it. She could hear the loud, sudden sounds of an handpistol firing like a small explosion and the clash of different weapons mixed with the exhausted moans of her comrades.  
  
As she reached the source of the tumult soon after she saw Bone’s chest flat on the ground, his back heavily lifting as if he was unable to breathe properly. Next to him Travis was trying to catch his breath, holding his arm as if it was naught more but a toy he could no longer use. Lux was immediately certain that his left arm and at least another of his limbs were indeed broken. But what caught her eye in this moment were less her friends, cowering on the floor and tasting their first real defeat, but the other three man fighting with a black clothed, tall yet incredible agile man.  
  
The Ordinal’s motions were fluent and fast for a human being, easily dodging any of his opponent’s attacks by gracefully swirling around them, giving them no good spot to ever attack him. He was never for once in any position for them to properly attack him. The blunt tip of the training lance was scarcely recognizable even for her trained eye as he swung it, easily knocking out Aslan after only one hit. It was telling her a lot about him already. She could vaguely imagine how many years and how much dedication it must have cost him to perfect the control over his body.  
  
She had just seen a glimpse of his skill in less than ten seconds and he already put all officers she ever knew to shame and made them appear like mere greenhorn slingtroopers who could not even pull the trigger. Then again he was an Ordinal of the Demaxian Empire – the very one their Emperor used to send when things got complicated and ugly. Of course he needed to be a very capable man. He was the Empire’s attack dog, and now she could see why.  
  
She did not exactly plan to stare at him since he was her new superior – yet before she could remove her eyes from this admittedly quite fascinating sight, his eyes met hers. Even from the distance she could recognize the deep arctic color of his eyes, sharp, cautious and above all dangerous. His lips curled into an arrogant smirk and his gaze returned to his last standing opponents. No, no one with the right state of their mind would actually ever want to fight against this man. She had seen the deep passion burning in the reflection of his eyes when he had swung his lance as their eyes had met. He was a man of war.  
  
All of his motions were plain perfect. Similar to a dance she could so easily analyze.  
  
The fight did not last for much longer – but far longer than it should have lasted. The Ordinal was playing with her friends to show-off. Lux attempted to control her emotions just like she had learned as child, sealing them away like she had been taught to. But she felt some anger. What was the Ordinal trying to prove, anyway? It was impossible that anyone of them could even partly match his skill, after all. Furrowing her eyebrows she took the third deep breath since leaving the ship, telling herself it would be alright.  
  
But unfortunately the Ordinal was staring at her again, now that all of his opponents were defeated.  
  
“It seems you have to say something”, he shouted at her, his tone showing his actual amusement.  
  
She could not tell if he was trying to provoke or to tease her – she assumed both. It was her very first time to meet Ordinal Kayn, but his reputation was certainly unmatched. A charismatic, well-spoken man who knew the most about combat of all. But she had silently vowed to not disappoint her brother – and, in all honesty, she did not plan to. She would not back down. She was not scared of his rank, title or his sassy remarks.  
  
“I indeed have”, she shouted back, trying to maintain a calm tone in her voice and not caring too much how she was addressing him right now. “I was wondering why you dragged this fight for so long. I am certain you could have beaten them far sooner.” She cleared her throat, reminding herself to whom she was speaking to. “ _Sir_.”    
“Oh? You really think that?”  
  
“No, I _know_ it.”  
  
It was difficult to tell what he was thinking right now, even for her who had been taught to read people’s minds just by looking at other people’s faces. But it was arguably also quite difficult to concentrate when he was staring at her like that.  
  
“Then prove it”, he said calmly, gesturing to the wall while he still imprisoned her gaze in his.  
  
It took her a few moments to actually be able to lift her eyes from his, only to realize that everyone was staring at her – not only the Ordinal. All of her comrades, but also an older looking man who had several insignias pinned on his chest. Her cheeks slightly flushed in embarrassment, but her determination remained. With quick yet steady steps she strode forward to the many weapons, choosing the only other available training lance as her weapon. She was not trying to imitate him, but it was literally the only weapon she considered herself to be decent in. The pistol would have been an option if she was willing to actually pull the trigger while pointing at him – which she was certain she was not.  
  
After picking the lance she moved towards him, seeking the eye contact to let him know that she was not scared even after becoming witness of him literally breaking quite many bones of her friends. She would not give him that victory. In fact she believed that this man was used to always win, and she wanted to prove him that even he could lose. Even an Ordinal was not invincible and almighty.  
  
Not that she actually believed she could defeat him – no.  
But she could at least take her defeat with pride and prove her point.  
  
Ordinal Kayn was almost two heads taller than her and she was truly grateful for the hard work she had put into controlling herself when being a child – otherwise her nerves and anxiety would have claimed her by now. His entire presence was intimidating when he wielded a weapon from close range, as if the predator waited for his foolish prey. And she had fallen for his trap.  
  
“Just that you know, holding back is not really my thing”, he said as she was close enough to hear him speaking in his normal tone.  
  
“ _Okay_. Mine neither”, she sounded awfully cheerful for a small lamb, ready to be executed. But she was quite proud of that very fact.  
  
And then both of them got ready.

* * *

  
  
She had some guts to be willing to fight him after he had painfully finished off her friends right in front of her eyes. But he respected that – more than respected the other troopers in the very room right now who had been all too scared to oppose him. That was not really enjoyable, in the very end. And not really helpful, either. After reading all the different reports her instructors have ever written about her he doubted she would last for much longer, but at least he was not surprised to see her wielding the exact same copy of the training lance he skillfully held with only one hand. She almost seemed experienced with it.  
  
He noticed her hesitation, so he opened the combat by attacking her straight away, quickly swinging his lance upright as if he wanted to break her skull with it. She did not move and he did not harm her. In the last moment before the cold steel crashed down on her head he immediately paused his motion, standing completely still as if time itself had stopped.  
  
His gaze met her deep azure blue ones again, but he saw no fear inside them – he only saw surprise. Apparently she had not seen his attack coming, but she immediately turned to a different combat stance to prepare for a counterattack. Kayn immediately moved his arm, guarding his right flank as he saw her right foot lightly moving, indicating that she would attack this side. He was right. The clash of their weapons filled the room for a moment before he took another step forward, pulling the lance back and using the impact of the swing to attack her left flank instead. Another direct hit, if he allowed the material to actually hit her body. Which he did not.  
  
“Didn’t you just say that holding back is not really your thing? You are doing a poor job right now to show your true strength. _Sir_. I suggest we are doing this properly or stop with it”, she said with a soft tone, but something in her voice told him that she was nervous. At this point it was difficult to tell whether she was foolish or brave – or both at the same time.  
  
“Very well then.”  
  
She reacted as soon as he drew his spear back another time, jumping forward with both of her feet to use the artificial gravity to her favor. Kayn realized her plan far before she started to launch her attack, but her execution of it was surprisingly fast and accurate. Blocking her approach she was already on it to make her next move, as if she knew how he intended to avoid the impact of her attacks. No, in fact he was certain she _knew_ it. The patterns of her very own movements had changed in the short time they had been fighting, adapting to his style of combat.  
  
She had analyzed his steps in little to no time, finding herself a proper strategy to hold herself against him for longer although her defeat was inevitable.  
  
The Ordinal watched her curiously while the corner of his lips slightly twitched. This was certainly unexpected. Her techniques were truly insufficient, but he doubted that this was solely her fault. She was the type who could adapt to any situation, any combat form with given time and knowledge – and it was her instructors fault for not realizing her rare talent much sooner when it would have been much easier to shape it into form.  
  
She was already out of breath after less than a minute of trying to keep up with his swift motions, but he did not blame her for it. With one final swing of his lance he swept her from her feet, ending this spectacle. Her back met the hard floor without mercy, pushing out any of the air stored in her lungs. She was coughing hard, very obviously in pain – and still she attempted to keep her calm.  
  
Truthfully, a few hours ago he had thought that she was nothing. But now he actually saw some value in her – given the right opportunities and training in particular. And he could provide them.  
  
The young man leaned forward, slightly going into his knees to stretch out his hand to help her get back on her feet, a little smirk playing on his lips.   
  
“Welcome on board of the _Fractal Shear_ , miss Crownguard. I hope you enjoy the view.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *A friend said Garen wants to build a snowman with Lux but she doesn't want to. I cannot unsee this now and now I want to share it with more people. 
> 
> *I actually call this chapter the unofficial "sexual tension" chapter for various of reasons. 
> 
> *The entire fighting scene was inspired by Pacific Rim's worthy opponent scene, you can go and check it on YT! 
> 
> *Just to clarify it, I am avoiding to spoiler too much with my writing. Sometimes I will write cryptic, but if you go back and remember older chapters you will understand the messages behind them, trust me!
> 
> *Lux is doing a poor job in properly addressing Kayn. She is not used to speak with superiors. Everything works a bit different on those high class-events she used to visit, especially if your own family is pretty much the most prestigious one of them all, anyway. 
> 
> *Kayn decided to accept her as his Supervisor for various of reasons. He respects her determination, but he also realizes that she has some hidden talents no one bothered to hone so far. I just wanted to clarify this!


	3. It all begin with darkness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize in advance for this rather rushed chapter!  
> I won't be able to publish another chapter until this weekend, I am extremely busy.  
> I promise the next ones will be much better, but I wanted to get this out before I wouldn't be able to finish it at all for a while. 
> 
> Since this is my first fanfiction on this site, I am still a noob with literally anything.  
> Thank you for all these nice comments so far, however, maybe I'll try to reply to them from now on!

  
Lux had difficulties to keep up with his almost inhuman walking speed – she knew no man who was as quick yet awfully elegant while striding like this. And that meant something, given the environment she grew up in. The Ordinal had both of his arms on his back, taking an authoritarian but also dignified posture while walking, as expected from one of the Empire’s greatest identities. To some certain extend she was in awe. She wished that most of the nobility would even have half of his grace, perhaps she would have been less of a lovely looking doll as child for them then as well. Alas they did not. And this was the very reason why their eyes had always instantly fell onto her, the one charming, ever smiling girl who had been taught to be daintily around them.  
  
However, in some way she thought of his aura to be somewhat odd, as if there was one single piece which did not quite fit into the picture. Perhaps it was his behavior from earlier, quite unfitting for an Ordinal. Which Ordinal bothered to lecture mere slingtrooper squads which just returned from the Empire’s training outpost? She knew for certain her brother did not. His way of speech was equally strange. In the short time she knew him he had barked quick and harsh orders like anyone of his position, but she had also witnessed for him to chitchat with mere engine technician in a very inappropriate and casual way.  
  
And above all he seemed to know every single one on board of this very ship with their name and rank. Which was, to be frank, not only surprising but also impressive.  
  
The Fractal Shear was an impressive warship of the newest generation with heavily equipped arms. One of the Empire’s most feared dreadnaughts. Lux was not sure how many were stationed on here, but she had to assume several hundred based on how many she had met just by following the Ordinal for the past fifteen minutes and by knowing that the warship also featured its own interceptor fleet. One fleet alone usually consisted of fifty pilots, but somehow she had the feeling that this unwritten rule did not apply here.  
  
Yet this was hardly surprising, given the Fractal Shear’s incredible combat experience. She had just briefly skimmed over the more specific reports her brother had given to her on her way to the Locus Armada, but the warship had been part of more than two dozen combat missions in only six months. All successfully lead by Ordinal Shieda Kayn. He really was the Empire’s attack dog.  
  
“So”, Lux initiated the first conversation by herself since all she had been doing was watching him talking with other people or him briefly explaining her a few important things here and there while they passed it, “how many people are on the Fractal Shear?”  
  
“328, normally. Right now there are just about 275, however.”  
  
“For what reason?”  
  
“Irrelevant.”  
  
For a moment she was speechless at such blunt answer. For a moment she pondered if he had a split personality; after all she had literally seen him flashing smirks - quite nice looking ones on top of that, she had to admit- and making actually pretty lame jokes just a few minutes ago while speaking to others. But maybe he just behaved this way since it was truly not relevant for her to know. She still needed to learn her role and place, in the very end. Basically she still knew nothing, so there was really no reason for him to answer. He had not even properly instructed her yet and she was well aware he could send her back home since she was at his disposal.  
  
She could not ignore the hierarchy. He was not her brother who she could openly question at any given times. There was a difference.  
  
He was responsible to no one. Only to their Emperor.  
Her family’s reputation perchance had made her oblivious to the meaning of ranks and titles. To her it had never really mattered as much. But she understood that this was different.  
  
To even become a sub-commander in the edge squadrons was a quite big thing – she had heard a lot of her comrades talking about it after another day of harsh training. In some sense she still hoped that they would actually climb in ranks and reach the position they wanted. As commander one already had to be decorated and experienced. To be a captain meant to have your own ship - either a warship or a stationary baseship to control a specific sector of the galaxy – and to be responsible of a good hundred people, if not more.  
  
And then there were the generals of the Empire – the superiors of all captains. They could command any ship and any fleet assigned to them, if they wanted. They belonged to the nobility, to the very elite of the galaxy.  
  
And then there were the Ordinals of the Empire.  
Like the very man in front of her, the person she just had spoken quite inappropriately to. Again.  
He could speak orders to any general – if he wanted, and if the Emperor and other Ordinals  allowed it of course, he could single-handed command the entire Locus Armada. One of the six Ordinal alone was usually commanding two generals. But Ordinal Shieda Kayn was the one their Emperor had assigned to the majority of the Empire’s warships. He alone was commanding five of them.  
  
“Forgive my curiosity, sir. If I am allowed to be frank, I am not used to it yet to appropriately talk to superiors”, Lux offered as apology, staring at his back.  
  
He suddenly halted in his steps, almost making her to bump into him – and she was really glad that she didn’t. She had already overstepped some boundaries, touching him would have been awfully inappropriate. The Ordinal lightly tilted his head and she had to actually lift her chin to even be able to see into his face to not seem impolite. Why did he had to be so incredibly tall? His face expression was completely calm, not in the slightest offended.  
  
“Hey, no need to apologize. Asking is important. Besides, I am not that kind of guy who likes formalities too much. Add a little ‘sir’ here and there, and you’re fine. Otherwise you’ll bury my entire authority. The only one you should probably address properly at all times is Captain Vassur. She likes formalities and professionalism. I guess I do not have to tell you that she is the captain of this warship. She takes much pride in it.”  
  
  
Well, she had heard about her name before – while viewing the reports, that is. But she knew nothing about that woman besides that she had to be good in what she was doing to please an Ordinal like this.    
  
Ordinal Kayn turned around again, continuing to walk.  
  
“In fact, I believe you might be a thorn in her eyes. She worked really hard for her position. Unofficially, you are below her rank. Officially you are standing above her now. Do not try to offend her, okay? I will not say no if she wants to catapult your ass into outer space with the slowest escape capsule this ship has to offer because you did something stupid. That’s on you then. She’s irreplaceable to me.”  
  
She straightened her back, although he could not see it.  
  
“I understand, sir.”  
  
“Good girl.”  
  
Her thin eyebrows furrowed, adapting to his fast pacing, still thinking about what he said. This man was really odd – on so many levels. But he definitely could not be a bad or unreasonable guy when her ever caring and careful brother personally suggested her to follow him around – even if she did not understand the way he was behaving at all. After all Garen never meant any harm.  
  
“Is that why you know everyone on this ship by their name? You dislike to be formal?”, she asked still confused, trying to understand a little bit more about her superior.  
  
“Uh uh.”  
  
“I do not mean to sound disrespectful, but I thought that this is what all high in rank prefer. To be properly addressed and respected, I mean.”  
  
“Are you really as foolish to believe that someone respects you just because they are addressing you properly? That’s nonsense. This is exactly the false flattery I do not need.”  
The Ordinal’s voice had become slightly agitated and his tone also higher – almost as if he could not decide whether he should be angry at her or if he should be amused.  
She could not see his face since he had not turned around, so it was quite difficult to tell what he was truly thinking. But somehow his words made her sad. They almost sounded lonely, as if no one was ever honest. At least this was how she interpreted them – because she could say exactly the same thing about the nobility of the coreworlds. It was all about money, prestige and property. It was all about wearing a mask and how to amuse oneself the most.  
  
It was never about other living beings or the future.  
  
Of course she did not know if that was what he meant. He might have his own reasoning for saying this. After all she knew no one who thought the same about nobility. Not even her own brother.  
  
Lux strictly gazed ahead, walking directly behind him, attempting to maintain some dignity after saying so many strange things herself. He had to think she was odd. And bubbly. Maybe both were even accurate descriptions, she did not know. Maybe it was the smartest to drop the topic, but she at least wanted to say something. Anything.  
  
“No, you are right. Titles are saying very little. They do not say anything about the person who has them. I personally would rather follow one person who is doing the right thing than choosing to follow the person who does not but who has rank, prestige and title. In certain situations there is no room for a pedestal like this.”  
  
She was nervously fumbling with her grey gloves a little while speaking, trying to shake some painful memories of, not noticing at first that he had once again tilted his head to watch her. In fact Lux did not notice him watching her until she lifted her chin a little more. She could recognize his perfect jawline facing her before her gaze automatically wandered up to meet his dominant, arctic eyes. They were awfully sharp again, just like they had been in the moment when he had fought her. They were as intensive that she wanted to avert her gaze but could not.  
  
It was the second time that she got lost in the deep, endless abyss of his eyes.  
  
“Surprise!”  
  
The shout was loud, inhuman – and immediately made Lux jump and return to the here and now. Her by now decently trained eyes and ears immediately recognized the source of the voice coming from the other hallway to their side. Her eyes found the right spot, seeing the blurry image of a huge green and orange plated robot charging at them with a titanium halberd inside its paw.  
  
Her hand instantly grabbed for her small blaster hanging on her belt, aiming at the sudden threat with shaky hands and one finger at the trigger – completely overwhelmed by the situation.  
  
“Ugh, no, Keelo! We’re having an important conversation here.”  
  
Ordinal Kayn didn’t even bother to draw a weapon or turn around to even look at the gigantic fightmek who stopped to swing its titanium halberd the moment he had raised his voice. Her heart was still racing as if she just had finished a hellish sprint when she slowly lowered the weapon inside her hand, sighing deeply out of relief. This had really raised her anxiety to new levels.  
  
Now she could also properly inspect the former attacker, identifying it as a fightmek of the third generation. It was easy to tell since its head was significantly larger and also more formed like a cuboid – the newer models were close to the model of any human species. Actually all parts of the fightmek were utterly bulky that one had to assume that the robot had to be quite slow in its movements, but it was not.  
  
As odd as it was, Lux thought to see a strangely normal and quite human emotion appear inside the light of his optics – something she thought to be similar to disappointment.  
  
“You are behind the scheduled time again”, the fightmek proposed, shuffling uncomfortably with his gigantic feet. “I thought you would keep your promise this time.”  
  
“I know, I know. Something important has come up.”  
  
“Something important is always coming up”, Keelo countered as if the fightmek was truly able to be upset about this very fact.  
  
“Okay, listen to me.”  
The Ordinal was lifting both of his hands, trying to calm the fightmek who now placed the dull edge of the halberd on the ground.  
“I know that I said I would spar with you around this time, but this was literally forty-eight hours ago. Before the Emperor ordered me to return to the Locus Armada. So you have to see I have other important tasks which require my full attention.”  
  
“Does that mean… I am useless? Am I not important enough?” The light in Keelo’s optics really dimmed, as if he really felt sadness.  
  
“Of course you are important, my old friend”, Ordinal Kayn said in a velvety tone, placing one of his black gloved hands on its bulky shoulder plates.  
  
For some reason Lux felt out of place while watching the Ordinal and the Fightmek sharing this almost intimate moment with each other – but at least this was a feeling she was very familiar to.  
  
She probably only thought of this friendship to be so awkward because she never had any proper friends. Not that she wanted to have any proper friends the past seven years, anyway. She had closed her heart, even in front of her comrades. These funny, weird, crazy people who sweat and bleed with her for two hellish years of hard training.

* * *

  
  
Kayn had already expected that Keelo would appear sooner or later – the old fightmek always did. In that sense he was reliable like a clock. Truthfully, his persistence had become a nuisance lately, but nostalgia and even friendship kept him from dismissing him. And although Kayn would never admit it, his bickering with the good, old fightmek was something he cherished. On longer missions he had little to no time to rest, relax or think about anything else than his sole purpose. And his given purpose was to make certain that the Demaxian Empire would always stand above anything else in this Galaxy full of rogues and the unknowing.  
  
Talking to the fightmek reminded him of the easier times – times when he behaved differently than he was now. Perchance his old comrades were right - he had changed over the years. He was no longer the man he used to be; a man who took no risks because he did not want to bear the consequences. But the truth was that it was all about consequences. Everything.  
  
Indeed, it had been one of the harshest lessons of his life.  
He could not feel any remorse for any of his actions.  
  
Keelo knew him long enough to have become witness of his change – but apparently his protocols were still, even after heavy modifications, unable to recognize them. Sometimes Keelo treated him like a child – the very same way Zed had programmed him to take care of him while he had been gone. For days. Weeks. Months. Kayn had never called him father, knowing nothing about him for too many years. He had been grateful for all he had done for him, but that was the peak of feelings he could offer to this very man. After all he had never been there for him. The old Fightmek, once in Zed’s possession, had been Kayns one and only family before he had joined the Locus Armada after he had lost his first one. And even that family had just been a bunch of kids exactly like he once had been– lost and unwanted.  
  
Keelo had been the one to remind him when to eat, sleep – and above all when and how to train.  
And, to be frank, he had been the first one to ever bother to worry about him. Very ironically, considering that Keelo had started his – how the Fightmek called it – more serious training program when Kayn had only been fifteen. And that program included to try to kill him, every single day. Later on he learned that it was the very man who had given him shelter for the past years, the man he scarcely ever saw because he would drift around somewhere in space, had re-programmed him this way. Not to get rid of him – no. The one and only lesson Kayn had ever learned from Zed was that the weak had no place in this world. That only drastic measures could truly achieve anything in life.  
  
Which was, in fact, in some way very well synchronizing with Keelo’s actual first lesson “You win a fight by any means at your disposal” – a lesson which the Fightmek had more than once repeated, in the many years to come.  
  
Truly, to hone his skills with any weapon the Fightmek would lay into his small hands had become his purpose in younger years. There had been no other.  
  
Casting away the thoughts of his past, Kayn observed Keelo’s changing behavior, predicting how he would react. He knew him all too well – or rather his old protocols.  
  
“I thought…”, Keelo started to speak again, but Kayn solely shook his head.  
  
“Keelo! We had this topic already. More than just once, to be precise”, he reminded him, now almost yelling in a low tone. If he did not stop him here now the Fightmek would undergo a phase similar to human depression – just in a more fightmek-way of sense.  
  
The Ordinal lightly tilted his head, noticing that his new Supervisor attempted to maintain her posture – but she failed in it. If he had to guess, he would assume she was uncomfortable. Which was, at least for him, completely understandable. She was lost. Family name did not matter in the Locus Armada – if you just had spent two years on one of the little planets the Empire used to instruct their new troopers you did not exactly expect to start to fly on board of one of the Empire’s greatest warships. Everything was new. This was exactly the reason why some commanders – like commander Teruhl – specialized on welcoming newer troopers so that it was easier for them to get used to be part of the Locus Armada. But in her case she was skipping that part – along with quite a few years of valuable experience.  
  
It had been a gamble to actually accept Ordinal Crownguard’s proposal to accept his sister as his Supervisor. But to be fair, gambling was all he did anyway. Sometimes he lost, but most of time he won. This was life.  
  
Nonetheless, there was no doubt that she needed to improve in all aspects to keep up with his work. For now he would not judge her for her deficits – but he expected her to learn well. Thinking about that he actually had a marvelous idea. His lips curled into an almost mischievous smile while still watching his new Supervisor. He ignored her staring and instead turned around to face Keelo again.  
  
“As a matter of fact I do have a very important task for you, Keelo”, the man started.  
  
“Oh? What kind of task?”, Keelo asked, his light digits flashing for a moment.  
  
“Train her and regularly report to me. Luxanna Crownguard is her name. Located in quarters B-A2. You can skip a few usual procedures, however. Hm, let’s say… Specialize her in two different weapons and close combat. That is all. I am assuming you will be busy for quite some time with that alone anyway.”  
  
“Oh, I see! And once I am done with that we can reschedule. Really clever”, Keelo said, satisfied with his suggestion.  
  
“Just be nice and not too harsh on her, okay? I am not really eager to fill in a death report for my new Supervisor in less than twenty-four hours because you have accidentally split her in two. Just assume that she has never held a weapon in her hand before and plan your lessons accordingly to that.”  
  
“Wait a moment…”, Luxanna tried to interrupt them, but none of them was listening.  
  
“Noted. I will get to work, then.”  
  
With these words the Fightmek immediately turned around as if this conversation had never existed, strictly following his most basic protocols. Kayn was already used to that, but it seemed he had to explain now.  
  
“This was Keelo, my personal Fightmek”, he briefly explained to her, shrugging while facing her once again. “He can be quite a nuisance, but he means well. At least this is what his protocols tell him to be like. I cannot remember who gave him such an overly dramatic artificial intelligence, however. It was not me.”  
  
   
He could already tell that there was more than one thing she wanted to say – but apparently she had decided to not speak her mind. At least not most of it.  
  
“So you’re friends with it?”, she finally asked after a short silence.  
  
  
“Yes. And speaking about friends – your new best friend on board of this ship impatiently awaits your presence. In one hour, in the command center, to be exact. Try to be punctual, Captain Vassur is a person who insists on punctuality. Actually I do as well. You might be my Supervisor, but unfortunately I am also  a really busy man. You will work very closely with her, at least when we’re out in space. Particularly until you are used to this kind of position she will be the one to contact me, not you. I trust she will instruct you well.”  
  
He pointed ahead of him to a nearby door with a thick metallic frame.  
  
“This is your chamber. Usually people share one with at least another person, but you are alone. You can freely move on the ship. If you happen to get lost ask someone for directions. Show initiative. I do not want to be the shepherd to look for a lost, little lamb. I got no time for that.”  
  
“Lamb?”  
  
“A species of a planet I know well. It actually does not matter. Just forget what I have said.”  
  
Placing both of his arms on his back again while he turned around and walked passed her, it was difficult to ignore her gaze resting on him. It was odd. He did not know when someone had actually dared to stare at him for that long – most would not even look at him unless he directly demanded it.  
  
“Do all Ordinals personally give guidance to their new subordinates, sir?”  
  
“No. Of course not.”  
  
And with that he left her.

* * *

  
  
Kayn did not waste more time than he already had. There was too much to do and too little time. After leaving the Crownguard girl behind, he strictly headed to the commando center of the Fractal Shear, demanding the Captain’s latest reports. It was the usual procedure – a boring one on top of that, but it belonged to his responsibilities. And he did take them quite serious. This never took long. Captain Vassur had been the Captain of his personal warship for so long that she exactly knew how he preferred to work, adapting to his wishes quite nicely without him ever mentioning it. And this was something he deeply respected and appreciated.  
  
The edgeworld of Zaun was still quite a few hours away, even with maximum slingspeed. And he did not plan to land on the planet right away, anyway. They needed data first. This was perchance the only safety measure the Ordinal always strictly followed – but only because more data also meant to possess more information about any possible enemies and particularly about their weaknesses.  
  
“We will reach our destination with maximum Slingspeed in thirteen hours, sir”, Captain Vassur announced calmly and completely stoic. In the past two years Kayn had never for once seen her lose her composure. Which was, in fact, more than what he could say about himself.  
  
“Excellent. I will return to my private quarters then and prepare. I trust you will inform me about anything unusual in the meantime”, Kayn said while his visible eye fell on the biggest neon blue screen of this room, showing their current location.  
  
“Naturally. Ordinal Crownguard has contacted us as soon as we docked out. I felt free to hold the transmission and redirected it to your private quarters”, she added in the very same, completely neutral tone.  
  
That had been a sharp move, as expected of the Captain. Yes, indeed – he preferred to talk with Ordinal Garen Crownguard personally, without any curious listeners. For various of reasons, actually.  
  
“I see. Good. I will take care of it.”  
  
He immediately left the crowded room and headed to his own chamber, located nearby. He liked the thought of being able to immediately give orders if needed, thus he had insisted on remodeling the interior of the Fractal Shear just a little after becoming Ordinal. A choice he did not regret in the slightest.  
  
As soon as the automatic door closed behind him he moved to his onyx colored desk, fiddling with an golden unit on the top of it. A projector from the ceiling started to enlighten the middle of the room, right in front of his desk. It was better than one of the screens commanders and captains used for communication, enabling the holoprojection of another person directly into the room while offering the other person full vision of their own room instead.  
  
Red light made out of countless small points started to shape a tall, bulky figure midst his room before transforming and linking to each other. It was deceivingly realistic, but the person in his room was not here. Ordinal Garen Crownguard looked exactly like he remembered him – his dominant chin and cheeks made him appear more dangerous than he actually was in Kayn’s opinion. He wore full black, just like Kayn, but his uniform differed from his. In some way it seemed to be more regal, less leger.  
  
Fifteen years ago both of them had lived in two completely different worlds, but now they were equals.  
  
“Ordinal Shieda Kayn”, Garen greeted him politely and stoic as ever. His arms were folded behind his back to make him appear even bigger, but Kayn nonchalantly just swung one of his legs over the other. Not seeming more formal than an ordinary person one could spot in the metropolis.  
  
“I see you are still an advocate for unnecessary formalities”, Kayn bluntly said, a light smirk playing on his lips. “I have to apologize, Ordinal Crownguard, but I do have my troubles to be formal around someone who puked on me in the past. Literally.”  
  
For a moment he could see him gritting his teeth at such very apparent provocation, but naturally the other did not fall for it. Truth to be told, they could not quite stand each other. For years. Fortunately for Kayn that Garen still owned him a very great favor. It was a debt the other man could not easily pay off and he knew it. Maybe Kayn indeed enjoyed it a little too much to rub the salt into his wound.  
  
“Let me be frank. I do know why you seek to speak to me – but allow me to ask you something before you do. Why exactly did you suggest your sister to be appointed to me? She has no experience and her combat techniques are almost nonexistent. And she’s also very young. Her naivety can easily sabotage the entire mission. She needs more life experience, above all.”  
  
Kayn had never been a friend to tiptoe around the subject. He was blunt, straight forward – and this was a trait the Emperor appreciated on him.  
  
“You had the opportunity to decline, yet you did not. Are you really in the position to ask me such question then?”, Garen simply replied. “You cannot blame me for accepting someone who does not meet your apparently high standards. But as a matter of fact I know your standards are not as high as you claim them to be. I know about the shady nightclubs you are frequently visiting.”  
  
The tall man slowly circled inside his room, although he was naught more but a reflection of light. Somehow he seemed to be very interested to inspect each of Kayn’s few furniture, furrowing his eyebrows a little.  
  
“I see your ordinary taste has not changed in the slightest.”  
  
“Apparently your sense of humor also not”, Kayn sighed, as if he was truly bored of this conversation while ignoring his remark. “I will answer your unspoken question, then. Your sister is fine and well, but unusable right now. I will re-instruct her how I see it fit.”  
  
Garen immediately faced him again, angered brown eyes focusing his. He took big, threatening steps forward as if his sheer will could transport him through time and space, to this very room. Alas it could not.  
  
“I did not assign her to you for this reason. And believe me, if you ever touch her I will kill you personally”, Garen said with a sharp tone, as if he wanted to drag him from his chair. Oh, Kayn had no doubt he really wanted to do that if he could.  
  
“For what reason then? You know how thoroughly I work. You had to see it coming that she would have it harsh on board of _my_ warship.”  
  
“I have suggested her to become your Supervisor to protect her”, Garen said, placing both of his hands on Kayn’s desk while leaning forward towards him as if he was really present. He was apparently very used to transmissions like this – the detail in his motions in this unreal room for him was quite impressive.  
  
Kayn chuckled lowly, amused. One of his gloved thumbs tracked the line of his lower lips while the corners of them twitched.  
  
“ _Protect her_? How odd. The past years it was hardly difficult to tell how much you tried to sabotage me. You really hurt my feelings. I actually believed I am the least favorite person of the entire galaxy for you. So why did you think I could take care of your beloved, little sister then?”  
  
“Ah. Yet you were very helpful and immediately sent reinforcements of your most experienced troopers when I asked for them just recently. I heard the Fractal Shear docked out without their full crew because of that.”  
  
“It was for a good purpose, was it not? Our hostility aside, we are still on the same side. And this does not cloud my judgement. You are still one of the more reasonable Ordinals. If you use my men wisely, I do not mind to lend them to you.”  
  
“How very noble.” Garen almost spit the words – but he soon reminded himself to find his composure again. After all it was very apparent that Kayn was provoking him on purpose.  
  
“Ordinal Kayn. Now let me be frank, as well. I have a very specific reason for my sister to be on board of your ship. One I did not even tell the Emperor himself – and besides that I truly believe she will fit in, given some time. It has something to do with the Templar I have relentlessly hunted for the past seven years. I am certain you still remember him. Sylas was his name. I have reason to assume that he will target my sister again.”  
  
This was actually a surprise to hear. Kayn had not heard this name to be spoken for quite many years, ever since he had been sub-commander, to be precise. Sylas was an extremely dangerous Templar who had greatly modified his own body with the usage of Ora. Bio-hacking was the word the Empire used for it. Of course it was forbidden on every known world.  
  
“Then why didn’t you take her yourself then?”, Kayn asked calmly, really curious to hear his answer.  
  
There was silence between the two men. Almost if Garen was unwilling to answer his simple question.  
  
“I have failed once to protect her. It was my fault. Everything that had happened seven years ago had been my fault. But you have saved her. Without you…No, I do not even want to think about that. It is the debt I will never be able to repay. Given your skills I think she’s the safest with you. So I beg of you to protect her until I have captured that man.” Garen’s voice was hoarse, almost painful.  
  
Kayn had only seen him as broken once before – seven years ago, on the brink of desperation.  
  
Quite ironic that everything seemed to begin with darkness.

**Author's Note:**

> *Ages: Kayn is 28, Jarvan IV is 29, Garen is 32 and Lux is 20. 
> 
> *I had to do some worldbuilding since we do not know that much; but I am greatly taking inspiration from Guardians of the Galaxy and in particular from Star Wars and LoL-canon lore!
> 
> *Lux looks very alike to her Lunar Empress skin, minus her haircolor which looks more like Elementalist-basic. 
> 
> *Don't mind me, Jarvan's and Kayn's friendship makes me cry. I just sit here. Don't look at me like this.


End file.
